Rabid Dog? I'll handle it . . .

Yes, that's right folks, I'll handle it because I'll be prepared!  I'll have my rabies shot, yes that would be the vaccination we all heard about in science class, but yet is almost never insured, even if you get bit by a rabid dog and sure as hell won't be covered if it's merely "preventative".  Who cares about preventative anyway?  It's so much easier to wait until a patient is dying of some prevented condition and then paying the hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospital bills right?  I'm getting sidetracked.

I'm going to Haiti and, evidentally, rabid animals (especially bats *shivers*) are rather common and the rabies shot is recommended for all travelers.  I'm thinking that it'd be best to get it.  But, will my insurance cover it? I asked myself.  The insurance that I get for working part-time as a teacher?  If it doesn't, the shots are anywhere from 500-1200 dollars.  Yes, that would mean I could buy a really old, still running car for the same price as a rabies shot. Ridiculous!  So, I call around, like between 10 and 100 million times trying to find places that will take my insurance AND give me rabies.  No such luck until I found a travel clinic that my insurance works with.  I talk with them and they assure me that travel vaccinations are hardly ever covered, the consultation fee will be 100 dollars, and that there was no way in hell that my insurance would cover the rabies shot.  I tell them to call my insurance because my insurance people assured me that it was covered.

About an hour later . . . they tell me that yes, vaccines a covered in FULL, yes the insurance will help pay for the consultation, and YES, they will even pay for those spendy rabies shots.  HALLELUJAH!  I will not be coming back from Haiti with malaria, thyphoid and rabies if I can help it! :D  And I have my awesome AWESOME insurance to thank.  Insurance that clearly realizes the value of keeping their teachers alive with cheap preventative care as opposed to astronomical hospital bills when I return with thyphoid, malaria, and rabies. :P

On a sober note, legislation has threatened to completely redo our insurance benefits within the education system, so the decent insurance may not last long for us educators.  I think I'll schedule my appointment for this week . . .

And, while in Haiti, I will bravely protect all those who don't have the practical insurance that pays for travel vaccines . . . I WILL take on that rabid dog or bat (however it may be).

Thank you premera combined with Washington Educators Association.  I love you.